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We present our latest measurement of supermassive black hole (SMBH) mass function at redshift zero based on detailed structural studies of 1743 galaxies extracted from the B‐band Millennium Galaxy Catalogue (MGC). Using the empirical correlations between the mass of the black hole and the photometric properties of the spheroid, Mbh‐L and Mbh‐n, we estimate the SMBH mass of each galaxy and from this construct empirically derived SMBH mass functions. Assuming black holes form via baryonic matter accretion, we found that (0.008±0.002)h370 percent of the Universe’s baryons are currently concentrated in SMBHs.

We investigate accretion flows around supermassive binary black holes (BBHs) with the orbital eccentricity e = 0.5, the semi‐major axis a = 0.01 pc, and the low mass ratio of the secondary black hole (BH) to the primary BH q = 0.1. In the simulations we consider a triple‐disk system composing of two accretion disks around BHs and one circumbinary disk surrounding the two. The circumbinary disk works as a mass reservoir. We confirm that a non‐axisymmetric accretion disk is formed around each BH. The X‐ray luminosity of the secondary BH exhibits the double peaks every binary orbit, whereas that of the primary BH shows a single peak. Such properties can not be seen in the case of equal mass BBHs and therefore provide a potentially important observational signature of supermassive BBHs with low mass ratios.

Supermassive binary black holes (SBBHs) are a natural outcome of hierarchical galaxy mergers, yet phenomeno‐logical evidence for the existence of close (separation d⩽0.1 pc) SBBHs, that are able to coalesce within a Hubble time, still remains ambiguous. We show that low‐frequency quasi‐periodic variability observed from (jet‐aligned) radio‐loud Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) can provide substantial inductive support for the presence of close SBBHs at their centers: It is argued on physical grounds that such close binary systems are likely to give rise to different (although not independent) periodicities in the radio, optical and X‐ray/TeV regime, and, hence that detection of appropriate period ratios significantly corroborates the SBBH interpretation. We point out that a binary framework may further allow to reconcile some of the apparently divergent central mass estimates inferred from host galaxy and fast high energy variability observations, and in particular allow to relax minimum variability source c...

Nuclear fusion is a process in which nuclei, having a total initial mass, combine to produce a single nucleus, having a final mass less than the total initial mass. Below a given atomic number the process is exothermic; that is, since the final mass is less than the combined initial mass and the mass deficit is converted into energy by the nuclear fusion. On Earth nuclear fusion does not happen spontaneously because electrostatic barriers prevent the phenomenon. To induce controlled, industrial scale, nuclear fusion, only a few methods have been discovered that look promising, but net positive energy production is not yet possible because of low overall efficiency of the systems. In this paper we propose that an intense burst of High Frequency Gravitational Waves (HFGWs) could be focused or beamed to a target mass composed of appropriate fuel or target material to efficiently rearrange the atomic or nuclear structure of the target material with consequent nuclear fusion. Provided that efficient generation of HFGW can be technically achieved, the proposed fusion reactor could become a viable solution for the energy needs of mankind and alternatively a process for beaming energy to produce a source of fusion energy remotely — even inside solid materials.

The binary relativistic stars merge rate in the Universe is determined mostly by the evolutionary scenario of the binary stars. Some of the unknown parameters of this scenario can be estimateted by the comparison of population synthesis predictions with the actually observed galactic population. We performed the Scenario Machine simulations with a revised scenario model and obtained that the lower estimate of the binary black hole merger rate should be ∼ 7 times higher than was given before.